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An Air New Zealand A320 made an unscheduled landing at Christchurch Airport this afternoon after being struck by lightning.

A passenger on an Air New Zealand flight hit by lightning praises the crew for how they handled the nightmare.

It was one of two Air New Zealand flights bound for Queenstown that were diverted to Christchurch due to lightning.

Flight NZ621 was travelling from Auckland, and NZ605 from Wellington, when they encountered the electrical storm and were forced to make unscheduled landings.

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NZ621 left Auckland at 12.07pm and landed in Christchurch at 2.37pm. NZ605 departed Wellington at 12.25pm and landed at 2.23pm.

Both aircraft were Airbus A320s.

A passenger of flight NZ621, who asked not to be named, said the aircraft hit rough turbulence as it approached Queenstown Airport from the Glenorchy end and was struck by a bolt of lightning on the right wing.

There was a "loud bang" and a "burning electrical smell" in the cabin for a short time, he said.

The plane then aborted its landing and turned around for Christchurch.

The conditions were the worst the passenger had experienced in over 40 years of air travel. He commended the pilots and crew for their "absolute skill" and "professionalism".

An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said alternative arrangements were made for an unspecified number of passengers from both flights following their landings in Christchurch.

The aircraft were now undergoing engineering checks.

Lightning strikes were not uncommon, she said. Pilots were trained for such scenarios and aircraft were designed to cope with lightning strikes. 

 - Stuff